The digital economy: Advancing the opportun...

NEW DISCUSSION: Transitioning to Renewable Energy

My name is Glodi, I am 17 years old and I am a Young Reporter since 2014. I live in Kinshasa, towards N'djili where the majority of the population does not go to school. I am lucky enough to go to the best school in my community. I became a Young Reporter at the age of 14 when members of the Reseau des Journalistes Amis de l'Enfant (RJAE), supported by UNICEF, came to my school to give a presentation on children's rights. It was new to me, I had never heard of the right to participation, for exa...

While looking into the mirror, we find our wheatish colour and black eyes very unattractive, then we sob for the colour of the arctic and blue-magnetic iris. Here, we are in the 21st century, still looking for ideal beauty draped in silk from "Ralph Lauren", to being embodied in sharp cut diamonds. I hope and pray that, I am chosen by my colour, approached for my talent and accepted for my nationality. Looking forward to not just being a pretty face, but a beautiful heart representing the glamou...

Change, many of us don't like it, fear it, often close the door when it knocks, but can't impede it from coming. Change can come in disguise with a mask on its face, it is mysterious. You can’t judge if it is for good or bad till it actually happens.You are doing a job at some firm and you get an offer from another with a salary hike. Do you want to switch? But you can never be sure if the change will be good for you. Maybe the new boss will not be fond of you as much as the last one.You are li...

I was adopted from China at 8 months old. Growing up in a predominantly Irish-Catholic town in the United States, I always knew I was different from my classmates, even in elementary school. It wasn't until middle and high school that I actually experienced the negative effects of stereotypes and racism. Kids would make fun of my physical features--mostly my smaller eyes and round face--and they would make me feel ashamed of being Asian. Even worse, I felt discouraged from doing well in school b...

“Why are you in a wheelchair?”
I get asked this question all the time.
I was diagnosed with one of the rarest diseases in Malaysia called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) when my parents realized that there was a delay in my development. I was 2 ½ years old and had not started walking yet. I could only stand for a few seconds before falling over. When I eventually started walking, I moved very slowly and needed help from other people.
Facts of Life
SMA is a genetic disease that attacks...

What role do stigma and stereotypes
play in the transmission of HIV?
What do you
think about when you hear HIV/AIDS? Be honest! Do you have dramatic pictures of
sickly, scraggy, suffering people in your head? Or do you picture Tom Hanks in
his movie Philadelphia? Many of you reading this article probably will. You do
not have to be ashamed or blame yourself. This is not directly your fault. HIV
is still a taboo topic, faced with irrational fears and surrounded by a lot of
myths all around th...

I recently attended a launch for a NGO called Young People With Vision (YPWV), the dream of a 14-year-old young lady, whom I am honoured to call friend.Young People With Vision was initiated for the sole purpose of giving youth the opportunity to do good. “I’ve always said that I will prove that young people really are the future. And a good one too. Because with all the bad in this country [RSA], people need hope. Something I learnt about myself and my team is that creating a smile where there...

The modern-day school system is a controversial affair. Are we really learning or are we just memorizing and regurgitating information that is force-fed to us? School was once something I was ecstatic to go to, and slowly, over the years, it has become tiring, a seemingly never-ending obligation.It has become a cycle of going to bed at 2am finishing an assignment that does not interest me, and waking up four hours later. It's going to a place full of people who judge you and gossip about you beh...

To the five people who have made my life five times happier, and whom I love with all my heart:1. She is one of those people who you can call at 4 a.m just because you can't sleep, or there is something keeping you up. Maybe she doesn't show it, but she is so caring and so kind. It is a true blessing to be around her.2. She is the prettiest teenager I have ever met and she has an extraordinary voice. She is the living proof of the saying that "talented people are always the kindest."3. She might...

Mobile device detected

Voices of Youth (VOY) was founded in 1995 as UNICEF’s online place for young people to learn more about issues affecting their world. Today, VOY is a vibrant community of youth bloggers from all over the world, offering inspiring, original insight and opinion on a variety of topics. Everyone is welcome to write, film, comment and engage in discussions. Let’s go!